Feb. 28- Germany

This has certainly been a whirl wind week!

To begin, on Monday I went ahead and began my internship at the homeless centre with an organization called London City Mission. I now go there every Monday and Tuesday morning, until I start regular hours Monday-Thursday. I got to serve tea and coffee, help give out clothes, and mingle and just talk to the people who were there. I am really praying that God allows me to start building relationships with the people I meet. I also got a mini-lecture on how non-profits, medical services, and transportation work with the poor, homeless, and those who are immigrants in the UK.

Tuesday night for theatre class, I attended Billy Elliot. This was a really well done show. The sets pulled in and out of each other and there were plenty of tap/ballet routines. More than half the cast is also 13 and under so its neat to see so much talent so young.

Wednesday afternoon all 6 of the girls and myself fly to Munich! From the airport we trained into the city center and found our hostel. Myself and one of the girls, Courtney, were accidently upgraded to a private room. That was a nice surprise :)

The next morning we traveled to Fussen where the Neuschwanstein Castle is built. If you have ever seen the cover of a European Castles book, or Walt Disney's Cinderella castle- this is it. What truly makes is spectacular is that it sits right at the top of a mountain peak so that everything around it looks tee tiny in comparison. We took a cheap horse and carriage ride up the mountain and toured the castle. Al of our guide books had mentioned hiking to Mary's Bridge in order to get the best view of the castle. Mary's Bridge is a lovely structure that resembles something out of Middle Earth. However, due to the snow/ice- it was closed. So, along with 2 other girls, I hiked it anyway! It was well worth it.

The next day we spent on bicycles, riding below the German mountains with snow and hills all around us. I ate a traditional Bavarian dish of white sausage and a pretzel that was delicious after a few hours riding a bike. Though the flight late Friday night was long, this weekend was wonderful and left me quite rested :)

Feb. 21- English Countryside

Some of the girls I'm living with and myself wanted to see the countryside and explore the hole in the wall towns like a local. So, what better way than renting a car? And- since I was the only one who could drive a manual (thanks Dad!), I got to be the chauffeur!

Thankfully, we only got honked at once in central London and made it to our first stop, Stonehenge safely! The humorous thing about Stonehenge was how close it was to the main road. You're driving, hills all around you, and then- bam! Randomly assorted stones pop out of the horizon.

Next, we made our way to Bath. We stayed in Bath Backpackers (recommended by a good friend of mine) and were able to walk around the sunny city and go to the Fashion Museum (where we tried on corsets!). That night, we saw Richard Herring, a comedian, doing his act entitled- The Hitler Mustache. It was amusing and in the words of my friend Jordan- the show was making fun of Hitler and a mustache, how can it not be funny?

The next day we toured the Roman Baths, for which the city is famous for, and I was amazed to see how well preserved they were. After being in Rome this past summer and seeing ruins there-that truly resembled ruins- it was quite surprising to see intact pools, columns, drains, etc.

Traveling through the rolling hills on our way to our next destination, Stow-on-the-Wold, was beautiful. The cloudless skies and empty roads were a welcome change from the stone and brick we were used to after a month in London.

When booking the trip we made the choice to splurge a tad and get a bed and breakfast in Stow-on-the-Wold. GREAT decision :) Our "house parents" recommended restaurants and other villages to visit, Chipping Camden and Burton-on-the-Water (also known as Little Venice).

The next day we went to Stratford Upon Avon, home to, you guessed it- Shakespeare :) However, I must say that Stratford was overshadowed by our final stop before heading to London, Gloucester Cathedral. Whats so wonderful about this cathedral you might ask? The halls of the cloisters just happen to be the halls of Hogwarts (Harry Potter's school!). The courtyard, doorways, and other bits were also used in the films. Very Very Exciting :)

This weekend was a great escape and I would easily say that driving in the UK has been my favorite thing I have done so far. So, the next time you plan to travel to England make sure you rent a car :)

Feb. 18- Cambridge

Another great week in London!

I started off last Saturday in Cambridge. We took the train out there and while we toured around the town it started to snow! So beautiful. We took a 2 hour tour, went to the Fitzwilliam Museum, and to Evensong at King's College Chapel (one of the loveliest places on earth).

Sunday I attended my first Quaker meeting with my next door neighbor Roger (a hilarious 65 year old man who used to be a Quaker and went to Oxford). The meeting was one of the most interesting things I have ever done. For those who aren't familiar with Quaker meetings here is how they work: Two people shake hands to indicate the meeting has begun. Then everyone sits in silence- praying. If you feel led to say something, or if you think God has put a particular piece of Scripture in your heart, or if God has reminded you of something specific this past week, etc. then you stand up and say it. Normally about 3-4 people speak for about 5 minutes a meeting. The rest is silent worship- and it is something to behold. Being able to be still, focus entirely on God with no distractions, and just sit in His presence was exactly what I needed.

I saw two plays this week, Dunsinane and Ghosts. Dunsinane is the sequel to Macbeth and was both dramatic and witty. A few of us got to meet some of the cast afterwards and they were extremely gracious and humble. Ghosts was, well, I don't really recommend it. :)

For class I went through a small part of the National Gallery and walked through Spitalfields. Spitalfields historically has high levels of immigration (our topic of study for the week). We saw a current Muslim mosque that previously was a Jewish synagogue and before that was a Hindu temple. We talked about the importance of culture, whether or not it was possible/beneficial to preserve cultures, and how to incorporate peoples of various backgrounds into communities. Though London is dealing with these issues, it was also neat for us to discuss them because America is going through exactly the same battles.

Headed to the Cotswolds this weekend to enjoy the English countryside! AND... I'm driving!

Feb. 11

This post is me playing catch up on last week.... :)

In the past 7 seven days I have seen 3 shows which has been amazing. The first, Nation, was in the National Theatre and was a Tarzan/Pocahontas type story. Extremely well acted, great costumes, and some neat special effects. The second show, Gretta Garbo Came to Donegal, was so so. My favorite however was Cirque Du Soleil's Varekai. This show was unlike anything I have ever seen! The aerialists were phenomenal and had me on the edge of my seat scared for their safety the entire time. Many of them didn't have any harness's either! The costumes and scenery took an immense amount of effort and were creative pieces of art. Please, if at all possible- go see a Cirque show. The best part about all of these shows is that they are a part of my Theatre Appreciation class so I don't have to pay for them! Thanks Mom and Dad ;)

In the past week I also went to two museums: the National Portrait Gallery and the National History Museum. The Portrait was my favorite of the two. Our Professor took us through the portraits and it was a great way to illustrate the history of the British monarchy. It also really helped to put faces to names and names to titles and titles to wives, etc. The National History Museum has some exhibits on dinosaurs and other animals including humans.

This week I also had some cultural experiences. One of my Professors invited the girls and I to have high tea at this club. In London, all the "posh" (or classy as we might call them) gentlemen are members of clubs- the Oxford and Cambridge Club, the Naval and Military Club, the Traveler's Cub, etc. At tea we had cucumber sandwiches, scones (with clotted cream!), and of course- tea! It was really fun to be able to have that experience.

I also had an experience with those at the not-so-posh end of the spectrum :) Myself and some of the girls went to a pub quiz! This is basically the same thing as a trivia night in the States, except for one thing- some of the questions are distinctly British. This meant we had to make friends at the pub who could help us with some of the more UK themed questions. So, we met Cassie and Laura. It turns out these 30 something year old women are wonderfully nice and that Cassie is in love with America! She kept asking us to talk because she enjoyed our accents, "They're just like that TV show- Friends!" Sadly though, we did not win the pub quiz-but don't fret- I'm here till May :)

Feb. 8- Amsterdam and Brugge

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Amsterdam and Brugge with the other girls in the Daniel House. We decided that on our first trip out of the country we might want to play it safe. So, we signed up to go with Anderson Tours (www.andersontours.co.uk). They handled our transportation and housing the entire weekend.

We first took a bus from London to Dover (Yes, I did see the white hills of Dover), a ferry from Dover to Calais and then a bus from Calais to Amsterdam. We would again take the bus back down through Brugge on our return.

Amsterdam is a most interesting city. Take the canals from Venice, beautiful 17th century architecture, and an almost New Orleans type culture and you've got the city. We were able to take a canal cruise and see the Anne Frank house where Anne and her family hid. On the tram one evening we were there I saw someone in (no joke) a Clemson hat. Clemson, for those who don't know, is a university about 90 minutes from my hometown. I got to speak with them and found out they were studying in Belgium. Small world.

Anderson Tours also set up for us to tour a cheese and clog factory. My favorite line that our tour guide said was the following (keep in mind that she is in full Holland dress...), "You see dis one. It look like sausage, and it smell like fish. But really- it is cheese!" I volunteered to attempt to cut out a pair of the famous wooden clogs and ended up with a free engraved clog! We had a fabulous time seeing the countryside of Holland as well as we drove.

On the way home we stopped in Brugge for 5 hours. There I had both Belgium chocolates and a Belgium waffle! Brugge is potentially the most charming, romantic, lovely little town I've seen. There are lace and chocolate shops everywhere along with darling canals and century old cobblestone. Many churches, city squares, and people walking their dogs dot the landscape of Brugge.

The trip was wonderfully successful (we can back with everyone!) and I would recommend both cities to anyone!

Feb. 1

Good evening!

I just returned earlier from seeing the production of Nation at the National Theatre and let me tell you- fabulous! As a part of the theatre class I am taking this semester I am "required" to attend 8 shows. :) Hopefully, these will include Billy Elliot and Cirque du Soleil! I should find out soon. The past week has been jam packed with every tourist activity possible including....

Tower of London (Crown Jewels!)

Winston Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms (A favorite of mine. Lots of neat artifacts and you get to see the rooms from which Churchill fought/lived/governed for the majority of WWII.)

St. Paul's Cathedral (This cathedral has a dome on top which gives you a simply stunning view of the city. That is, if you can make it up the 530 stairs. Did I? You bet :)

The Globe (Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Where for art thou Shakespeare?)

Camden Market (WONDERFUL market for bargaining. Wide variety of foods, clothing, antiques, and unique handmade items. Its also huge- we spent over 4 hours there!)

Trafalgar Square (Great for people watching.)

Buckingham Palace (I saw the guards!)

Hamley's Toy Store (Similar to FAO Schwartz)

St. Martin in the Fields (Complete with a crypt)

Tower Bridge (Stunning.)

Petticoat Lane Market (Super cheap clothing- I bought a 2 pound cardigan!)

A real English Pub (Hereford Arms, about 5 minutes from the Daniel House)

Now that I have many of the "have to see" items off my list, its time for class! Theatre began yesterday where our professor was the Production Manager for the National Theatre for over 30 years. He has some really in depth views and I'm thrilled to be learning from him. British Heritage and Culture began today and is being taught by a former member of Parliament who is the quintessential Englishman. Art starts tomorrow!

I am having such a wonderful time with the girls at the house. Making dinner. Getting diet cokes at pubs late at night. Riding the tube. Bargaining at the market. And eating delicious cookies which interestingly enough are called Digestives... hmm :)

More to come!